Notes from the Class of 2003

CU Boulder’s study abroad program brought Heather Corinne Cumming (Hum’03) from Norwich, England, to the U.S. Peace Corps, where she served as a volunteer from 2004 to 2006 in Zambia. She founded her own organization in 2009 that serves remote villages in rural Zambia, rural Sierra Leone and formerly the border point of Ethio-South Sudan with water wells, clean and sustainable water year-round and simple irrigation systems. She is looking to begin a project site in North Sudan or Mali. Learn more about her work at ssaap.org or email her at ssaapafrica@gmail.com.

Attorney Payal Salsburg (MCompSci’03) received the 2022 community service award from the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts. An attorney at the Boston law firm Laredo & Smith, Payal focuses her practice in the areas of business litigation, corporate advice and counsel and white-collar criminal defense.

The Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) at the University of Denver named Brittany Kauffman (Law’03) its CEO. “Over the 10 years of Brittany’s time at IAALS, she has become trusted and respected by staff and partners nationally and internationally for her follow-through and attention to excellence, her mastery of IAALS’ areas of focus and her passion for the mission,” said IAALS’ founding executive director.

Owen Locke (Fin’03), a sixth-generation Colroadan, launched Locke + Co. Aspen Aged Rye Whiskey in 2016 with his best friend. The whiskey spends two years in oak barrels followed by eight months with hand-cut and charred aspen wood discs, sourced from his family’s property in Fairplay, Colorado. Owen hopes to continue growing the company.

Dana Query (Comm’03) and her husband, Dave, own Big Red F Restaurant Group, including Jax Fish House, Centro, West End Tavern, The Post Chicken & Beer and Velvet Elk Lounge. They reside in Boulder and are active community members. Their two sons, Harrison and Matt Query (Psych, Soc’12), recently co-wrote a thriller novel, Old Country. Harrison wrote the screenplay for the story, which was bought by Netflix in a seven-figure deal the same month the brothers landed a book deal.

Multimedia marketing and engagement expert Jessica Kizorek (Span’03) has developed an international presence as a video storyteller, entrepreneur and activist. Working primarily with large nonprofits — including the AARP Foundation and Special Olympics — through her company Two Parrot Productions, she has created hundreds of short films and video-centric fundraising campaigns. She has covered a multitude of humanitarian causes as a journalist and documentarian in over 60 countries. Jessica is also passionate about empowering female entrepreneurs through her organization, Badass Businesswomen. A published author, Jessica has 10 books to her name and has appeared on major news outlets such as Fox, NBC, CNN, Weekend Today and the Better Show. After obtaining her master’s degree from Florida International University, she is now pursuing a doctorate degree in business administration.

After starting as an intern for the City of Boulder in 2001, Cris Jones (EnvDes’03) is now director of community vitality for the city. Cris intends to use his experience in this new role to lead the advancement of the department in support of cultural vibrancy, district vitality and access for all throughout the city and within Boulder’s key economic centers. Cris also serves as the ex-officio executive director of the Downtown Boulder District, University Hill General Improvement District and Boulder Junction Access General Improvement District. 

Since 2014, Matt Seefeldt (MChemEn-gr’03; PhD’04) has served as executive director of the Gates Biomanufacturing Facility (GBF), a research organization advancing cell and gene therapy research. After graduating from CU, Matt later returned to work at the CU Anschutz Medical campus to help develop protein and cell biological therapies. In June 2023, he gave a tour of GBF to Senator and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Federal Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf. Matt also is cited as a world expert in protein refolding. 

Boulder’s Trevor Seelye (Econ’03) and Elizabeth Seelye (Jour’02) are co-owners of Independent Power, which specializes in helping customers build plans to transition their homes, businesses and vehicles to operate with clean energy. In addition to solar and electrification projects in Boulder, Denver, the Front Range and Bozeman, Montana, Independent Power has also built solar, storage, wind and hybrid systems in Rocky Mountain National Park and at military bases in the Indian Ocean.